I designed a maquette model based on "What Should Trayvon Martin Have Done?" from The New Yorker.
The cubed cage symbolizes imprisonment — of Trayvon at the moment of his encounter with Zimmerman, of the law, and of mankind in man-made society at large.
The two planks that never intersect allude to the notion of people, specifically Trayvon and Zimmerman, in this case, “walking on the edge” in our present society. It also signifies the abyss between the “should’ve” and the “could’ve”; there is no middle-ground between theory and past-reality.
The pointed daggers on either side of the two planks represent the media and public opinion as well as racial discrimination.
The cross formed as a result of the two planks signify danger, risk and rejection. From the perspective of Trayvon, he was ultimately betrayed by society simply because of his race and skin color. Being only seventeen, he was shot down before he could even fly.
